Unai Emery

[Risso]

You've got to admit it's got to take some bollocks to address your defensive shortcomings by going with a blatant flat back 6. With 2 holding in front!

It isn't a flat back 6 though and I really hope '6 at the back' doesn't become an accepted truth about us in the media because it completely misses the point and ignores the fact that we've gone from:

Played: 11
For: 7 (0.63 per game)
Against: 16 (1.45)

to

P:4
F:8 (2)
A:5 (1.25)

It's a tiny sample size but right now our improvement isn't about the defence, we're scoring 3x the amount of goals compared to under Gerrard and nothing about how we're playing deserves to be tagged as ultra-defensive/6 at the back.

What that shape was is a perfect response to a team that's playing, effectively, 343. When you're numbering up in defence ideally you want a 'spare' central defender and for the opposition to be the same. Most teams would do that by keeping their wide midfielders higher up the pitch but that creates a space for teams to hit balls into the corners, giving them an out ball to get on th front foot (and making the wide defending all about pace on the turn). By getting them 10 yards deeper you make that ball much harder to play which keeps the play in front of you more.

I said elsewhere that I think Emery went ultra-safe in the first half to try to build up Olsen's confidence a bit. I don't have a problem with it given the result, and having provided ourselves a base, we were much more attacking second half. That first half at Spurs was Southampton at home levels of dire in terms of entertainment though.

[LeeB]

I thought we offered threat in the first half just Buendia was having one of his sloppy days when we were in some good positions

[Risso]

You've got to admit it's got to take some bollocks to address your defensive shortcomings by going with a blatant flat back 6. With 2 holding in front!

It's not the first time we've seen a manager try it, against this opposition and on almost the same ground. The difference comes in having a plan that also offers threat and opportunity for our attackers.

I think it's been noticable since he came how when we're now attacking it's often into space vacated by by opponents after their futile attempts to unlock us grow ever more frustrated, pretty much exactly what was happening to us under Gerrard.

Yep, there's a difference between getting six men behind the ball quickly to defend an attack, and actually starting the game with 7 defenders as McLeish once did.

[ChicagoLion]

You've got to admit it's got to take some bollocks to address your defensive shortcomings by going with a blatant flat back 6. With 2 holding in front!

It isn't a flat back 6 though and I really hope '6 at the back' doesn't become an accepted truth about us in the media because it completely misses the point and ignores the fact that we've gone from:

Played: 11
For: 7 (0.63 per game)
Against: 16 (1.45)

to

P:4
F:8 (2)
A:5 (1.25)

It's a tiny sample size but right now our improvement isn't about the defence, we're scoring 3x the amount of goals compared to under Gerrard and nothing about how we're playing deserves to be tagged as ultra-defensive/6 at the back.

What that shape was is a perfect response to a team that's playing, effectively, 343. When you're numbering up in defence ideally you want a 'spare' central defender and for the opposition to be the same. Most teams would do that by keeping their wide midfielders higher up the pitch but that creates a space for teams to hit balls into the corners, giving them an out ball to get on th front foot (and making the wide defending all about pace on the turn). By getting them 10 yards deeper you make that ball much harder to play which keeps the play in front of you more.

I think you are right and you could see how Spurs nearly got through the defence with a diagonal run and a chip over the line. It does take a very good pass and run to make it happen though.

[LeeB]

You've got to admit it's got to take some bollocks to address your defensive shortcomings by going with a blatant flat back 6. With 2 holding in front!

It isn't a flat back 6 though and I really hope '6 at the back' doesn't become an accepted truth about us in the media because it completely misses the point and ignores the fact that we've gone from:

Played: 11
For: 7 (0.63 per game)
Against: 16 (1.45)

to

P:4
F:8 (2)
A:5 (1.25)

It's a tiny sample size but right now our improvement isn't about the defence, we're scoring 3x the amount of goals compared to under Gerrard and nothing about how we're playing deserves to be tagged as ultra-defensive/6 at the back.

What that shape was is a perfect response to a team that's playing, effectively, 343. When you're numbering up in defence ideally you want a 'spare' central defender and for the opposition to be the same. Most teams would do that by keeping their wide midfielders higher up the pitch but that creates a space for teams to hit balls into the corners, giving them an out ball to get on th front foot (and making the wide defending all about pace on the turn). By getting them 10 yards deeper you make that ball much harder to play which keeps the play in front of you more.

I think you are right and you could see how Spurs nearly got through the defence with a diagonal run and a chip over the line. It does take a very good pass and run to make it happen though.

And he still ended 15 yards wide of the goal. Took a good ball back in and what I thought was a bit weak defending from Konsa, his only black mark it has to be said.

[Dave P]

You've got to admit it's got to take some bollocks to address your defensive shortcomings by going with a blatant flat back 6. With 2 holding in front!

It's not the first time we've seen a manager try it, against this opposition and on almost the same ground. The difference comes in having a plan that also offers threat and opportunity for our attackers.

I think it's been noticable since he came how when we're now attacking it's often into space vacated by by opponents after their futile attempts to unlock us grow ever more frustrated, pretty much exactly what was happening to us under Gerrard.

Yep, there's a difference between getting six men behind the ball quickly to defend an attack, and actually starting the game with 7 defenders as McLeish once did.

It also reminds me of when Pulis has 6 centre halves and a holding midfielder on the pitch for Boro aginst us at VP during our 10 game winning run.  They still lost 3-0.

[Dave P]

Bur of course this doesn't define Emery at all.  The way we can shuffle our pack and be disciplined when we haven't got the ball to make us hard to break down, but still get forward and make chances is all down to his knowhow.  In no way is he a defensive manager.

[eamonn]

Re the two familiar foes in the dugout last night - are there any worries that Wolves have got the better Spaniard?

I don't know enough about him except he did well enough to get the Spain job before being greedy and doing the dastardly deal with Real Madrid on the eve of the World Cup in 2018 before rebuilding his reputation at Unai's old club, Sevilla.

Just wondering if there have been articles by the Spanish experts (Balague/Hunter/Lowe etc.) comparing the two.

[Toronto Villa]

I’ll take the Spaniard who has won more.

[gpbarr]

Let’s add another Spanish manager into the debate too - Pep.    Isn’t this a bit pointless? We have a credible manager whose CV says it all. Let’s be happy with what we have and not start trying to debate whether he’s the best Spanish manager or not.

[johnc]

I’ll take the Spaniard who has won more.

Neither of them are Spaniards

[Toronto Villa]

I’ll take the Spaniard who has won more.

Neither of them are Spaniards

Well the Basque region that he was born in is in Spain.

[eamonn]

I’ll take the Spaniard who has won more.

Neither of them are Spaniards

Fair point. Juan must have felt patriotic enough to serve Spain as a player and coach, mind.

[pauliewalnuts]

I’ll take the Spaniard who has won more.

Neither of them are Spaniards

Fair point. Juan must have felt patriotic enough to serve Spain as a player and coach, mind.

Neither of them are called Juan.

[eamonn]

Let’s add another Spanish manager into the debate too - Pep.    Isn’t this a bit pointless? We have a credible manager whose CV says it all. Let’s be happy with what we have and not start trying to debate whether he’s the best Spanish manager or not.

If he gets Wolves playing consistently as well as he has since he took over, there's every chance they'll be competing with us where we want to be i.e the top half of the table.